The present invention relates to apparatus attachable to motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, bicycles, and the like, on which to mount a storage unit for carrying luggage or the like when traveling on such vehicles.
Devices for affixing storage containers and luggage to motorcycles, which inherently limit available options, currently are many in number and varied in design and capacity. Most date back to the saddlebags used long ago to carry various items and consisting of two bags connected together and being draped over the back end of one's horse and cinched thereto. Several forms of motorcycle “saddlebags” are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,384, discussed more fully below.
Among the multitude of designs for luggage carriers for motorcycles and the like, the luggage usually is available in one of two varieties, hard or soft. Soft luggage is usually made from some form of fabric, frequently ballistic nylon or similar durable and flexible material. This luggage usually mounts to the vehicle with straps, tie downs or other securing devices. It has the benefits of being light and conformable. One drawback in a mounting system that uses a number of straps or tie downs is that installation and removal can be time consuming. The luggage or mounting straps, buckles, etc., frequently contact the vehicle, which can result in damage to the vehicle. Soft luggage also typically uses zippers or the like for closures, making them difficult to securely lock. Similarly, the use of straps and tie downs makes the luggage difficult to affix securely to the vehicle.
Alternatively, hard luggage is usually made of fiberglass, plastic, metal, thick leather or some other rigid material. Hard luggage has a benefit of being more easily designed to ensure waterproofness, and it can be mounted such that it does not contact the vehicle. It is also easier to incorporate secure locking mechanisms for the luggage itself and to lock it to the vehicle. Hard luggage has a drawback of being heavier than soft, and requires a more sophisticated mounting system in order to accommodate the increased weight and the lack of flexibility or conformability inherent in the luggage material. These mounting systems can be quite large, and are typically permanently attached and not easily removed from the vehicle or the luggage.
Among the several issued patents directed to luggage carriers for vehicles, especially motorcycles, exemplary is U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,384. The reference discloses a system for removably mounting a saddle bag on the fender strut of a motorcycle. A mounting assembly includes a front and rear mounting bracket attached to an inboard face of the bag by a rigid backing plate. Two cylindrical spool-like keepers are retrofitted to attach to the existing fender and bag guard mounting points on a fender strut. Existing mounting bolts are replaced with longer replacement bolts. A slot in each bracket is sized to slidably engage the neck and heads of each keeper. The bag and bracket assembly are secured to the keepers by a mounting screw.
A foot peg/lock holder combination for a motorcycle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,427. The reference describes a multi-purpose foot rest peg having an elongated groove to accommodate a disc rotor brake lock, with a hole to accommodate the cylinder locking apparatus of an existing U-shaped rotor disc lock attached to a motorcycle as a foot rest. This allows the lock to combine with the foot rest peg clevis to create a foot rest/rotor disc lock holder combination for a motorcycle.
More recently, Patent Publication US2007/0062327A1 discloses a passenger footrest structure which includes a footrest support bracket for supporting a passenger footrest and an accessory mount formed therewith for supporting an accessory part other than the footrest. The publication describes passenger foot pegs, employed on a motorcycle for the support of feet of a passenger occupying the passenger's seat behind the driver, as generally rigidly secured to a motorcycle frame structure through respective footrest support brackets. Footrest support brackets are employed on each side of the motorcycle frame structure. Prior art footrest structures are said to be exclusively designed to support the respective feet of the fellow passenger and are not designed for any other purpose than for the support of the fellow passenger's feet. The reference then describes a motorcycle passenger footrest structure capable of accommodating, selectively, one of various motorcycle accessory parts such as a grip bar, a stay for the support of a pannier case, a helmet holder, a rope anchor, and any other component part employed in association with the motorcycle.
This reference discloses and suggests an additional mount to be added to the conventional passenger foot peg bracket of a motorcycle to support the various accessories described therein.
In contrast to the known prior disclosures, the present invention provides an improved mounting system for mounting storage units to vehicles such as motorcycles, ATVs, bicycles, and the like, wherein the mounting system fixedly maintains the spatial orientation between the storage units and the vehicle. The storage units can be removably locked to the vehicle and the storage system and/or the storage units can be quickly and easily removed and/or reinstalled on the vehicle. The storage unit as described and claimed herein is intended to encompass containers and receptacles and other variations for storing and transporting such as straps, nets, clamps, and the like.